Reenforced concrete roadway



Sept. 25, 1928.

B. BRIODY REENFORCED CONCRETE ROADWAY Filed March 24, 1924 M IN VEN TOR.

M BY A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 25, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD BBIODY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO TRUSCON STEEL COIPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

REENFORCED CONCRETE ROADWAY.

Application filed Iaich 24, 1924 Serial No. 701,282.

This invention relates to the construction of concrete roadways, and its object is to so reenforce the roadway as to prevent the corners and edges of the panels of the roadway being broken by the wheels of the enormously heavy freight trucks which are now employed to transport merchandise over such roadways.

It has been observed that when a crack forms in a concrete roadway because of the upheaval of the earth or because of shrinkage, that the corners of the panels thus formed are often broken by the wheels of heavy vehicles. The reason is that concrete has comparatively little tensile strength and is thus poorly adapted as material for cantilevers unless reenforced. The edges and corners of panels or slabs of concrete roadways are often insufli ciently supported because of the softness or unevenness of the earth beneath them and so when an excessive load comes onto such edge or corner it is broken off, leaving another corner subject to similar damage. That this is so can be observed by the patching necessary along the edges of concrete roadways where substantially triangular replacements are common.

My present invention consists in a proper metal reenforcement extending along the edges of the roadway and also transversely thereto at each side of the lines where cracks are predetermined so that the breaking off of the edges and corners may be prevented. In

- order to insure that the roadways when they do crack will crack along predetermined lines, strips or plates of sheet metal laced on edge are positioned along the lines w ere the cracks are to occur.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan of a roadway provided with my improved dividing plates and reenforcements. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 is a plan of a bar adapted for reenforcing the edges of panels of roadways.

Similar reference characters refer' to like parts throughout the several views.

The roadway 1 is shown divided into panels by means of the dividing plates 2 which are longitudinally corrugated or channeled so as to produce dowel grooves and tongues in the edges of adjacent panels.- These plates do not extend to the finished surface of the roadway and therefore do not cause or constitute objectionable ridges, but they control the lines of cracks which usually form where the concrete contracts or when the foundations heave up during freezing weather. The dowel construction'causes the adjacent e es of the panels to come down together, the pins 3, if used, assisting in this work. This construction alone forms no part of the present invention.

In order to prevent the corners which are produced when the slab cracks along the dividing plates, truss bars 4 may be embedded along the edges of the panels, and I prefer to employ the well known Kahn bars which have square central portions 6, lateral flanges 7 and tongues or shear members 8 formed therefrom. I prefer these shear members to have their ends 9 bent back to constitute anchors and the tongues on opposite sides of the central portion 6 inclined in opposite directions so as to secure trus action. This type of bar is of proper form to reenforce the slab against an upward thrust of the foundation and against a downward pressure from a-truck Wheel. Whether the shear members 8 extend upward or downward will be decided by the engineer in charge of construction, for the central portions 6 of the bars are tension members and should be embedded in the upper portion of the slab if there is danger of the corners of the anels or the outer edges thereof bein un ermined, but if the greater danger is In u heaval caused by frost, the bars should be em dded as shown in Fig. 2.

The details of construction and the sizes and proportions of these re'enforcing bars may all be changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim 1. In a roadway, a continuous concrete slab, thin metal plates set on edge embedded in the lower portion of the roadway and having their upper edges a distance below the upper surface of the roadway, some of said plates extending longitudinally of the roadway and others extending cross-wise of the roadway, and reenforcing bars embedded in the concrete parallel to and on both sides of plates extending longitudinally of the roadsaid plates. way and others extending cross-wise of the p 2. In a roadway, a continuous concrete roadway, and reenforcing bars embedded in 10 slab, thin metal plates set on edge embedded the concrete parallel to and on both sides of in the lower portion of the roadway and havsaid plates, and also along the outer edges of ing their upper edges a distance below the said slab. upper surface of the roadway, some of said BERNARD BRIODY. 

